Good training match

Season 1972-73

Anglo Italian Cup, Game 4

Wednesday, May 2, 1973

Stadio Olimpico, Rome 

Lazio Luton Town 2-2

Lazio draw with Luton Town in the Anglo Italian Cup, but nobody was too bothered about the result

Source Lazio Wiki

There were just three games left in Serie A and Lazio were second, one point behind Milan and one in front of Juventus. The impossible looked possible, but before the next Serie A game the Biancocelesti had to play their final match in the Anglo Italian Cup.

The tournament involved 8 English teams (Crystal Palace, Hull City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Blackpool, Fulham, Newcastle United and Oxford United) and 8 Italian (Bari, Fiorentina, Verona, Bologna, Como, Roma and Torino as well as Lazio) divided into two groups. Clubs of the same nation did not face each other and the two top teams for each group played a semi-final and the winners the final.

The Biancocelesti had so far played three games losing away to Hull City and Crystal Palace and drawing at home to Man United. Today was the last game against Luton. There was still a chance to reach the semi-final but nobody really cared much since Lazio were still on course to become Serie A champions.

The match

The only first eleven player used by Tommaso Maestrelli was Giorgio Chinaglia, otherwise Lazio was full of B team and primavera players plus three who had arrived on loan specifically for the competition: Luciano Masiello and Renzo Di Carlo from Almas plus Mauro Rufo from Cassino. Maestrelli was able to test them to see if they could be eventually signed during the summer transfer window.

Luton Town, English second division club, dominated the first half but Lazio were unlucky in the 45th minute when Masiello hit the crossbar and on the rebound Chinaglia sent the ball wide.

The second half was more eventful and the Biancocelesti scored in the 50th minute with a Chinaglia missile on a free kick. Luton equalised eight minutes later with a Peter Anderson header off an Alan Slough freekick. In the 67th minute Lazio again went ahead. Chinaglia passed to Giacomo La Rosa, his shot was parried by the keeper but Francesco Cinquepalmi volleyed the ball into the net. Long John had a chance to close the match but the English made it 2-2 with John Ryan in the 75th minute after three shots had been walled by the Lazio defence, but not the fourth.

An enjoyable game, Maestrelli could now concentrate on the league.

Who played for Lazio

Moriggi, Tinaburri, Petrelli, Lilla, Sambucco, Rufo, La Rosa, Moschino (46’ Di Carlo), Chinaglia, Mazzola II, Masiello (60’ Cinquepalmi)

Substitutes: Avagliano, Trobiani

Manager: Maestrelli

Who played for Luton Town

Horn, Price, Thomson, Slough, Faulkner, Goodeve (75' Garner), Jim Ryan, John Ryan, Anderson, Hindson, Moore

Substitutes: Keit, French, Fern

Manager: Haslam

Referee: Tinkler (UK)

Goals: 50’ Chinaglia, 59’ Anderson, 67’ Cinquepalmi, 75’ Ryan

Sources

Lazio Wiki